ISLAMABAD: Border security chiefs from India and Bangladesh met in New Delhi on Monday for high-level talks "to discuss and deliberate on border-related issues and to improve coordination between the Border Guarding Forces," India's Border Security Force said on its social media channels.
The 57th Director-General-level Border Co-ordination Conference between India's Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh is being hosted at BSF Headquarters in New Delhi, running from June 8 to 11.
Discussions are expected to cover alleged illegal "push-ins," border killings, infiltration, smuggling and the construction of border fencing, The New Indian Express reported.
The conference comes days after India deported nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi immigrants since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist party swept to power in West Bengal last month, according to official statistics quoted by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
According to Adhikari, authorities have established detention centers across the state and are identifying and deporting undocumented migrants.
India's ruling BJP has made illegal immigration a key political issue, particularly in states bordering Bangladesh. Critics have accused authorities of targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims and carrying out deportations without due process.
Top Indian officials have previously used incendiary language to describe migrants, with senior figures referring to them as "termites" and "infiltrators."
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have remained strained since the 2024 political upheaval in Bangladesh that ended the rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close partner of India.
Border management, migration, and security cooperation have since emerged as major points of contention between the neighbors.
Officials from both sides said the latest talks aim to improve coordination between border forces and reduce tensions along one of South Asia's busiest and most sensitive international borders, according to BSF officials cited by Indian media.
